EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVAL OSNABRUECK 2011 - Emaf

›SO CLOSE IN THE DISTANCE‹
curated by Charlotte Bank
The recent revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia came as a surprise for large parts of the European public. For so
long, we have been used to seeing the countries of the Arab world presented as unchangeable, traditionalist societies;
suddenly, however, images of young people who demanded individual freedom, improved chances, an
end to corruption and democratic reforms reached our media. This seemed in no way to fit into the usual Western
perception of the region.
Thereby, the distance between the young people and those in power in the Arab world has long given rise to
great frustrations. The percentage of young people in all countries of the region is very high, yet up till now they
had no influence on political decisions and were hardly regarded as a social force to be reckoned with. Unemployment
rates among the youth are high, even among well educated people, but no country has developed
strategies to cope with this problem. As a result, a general feeling of disappointment and hopelessness was
widespread.
The works of young artists mirror these concerns. From a critical angle, they investigate a wide range of sociocultural
and socio-political issues, often also addressing sensitive taboos. Video has proven itself a useful tool
for this movement and has become one of the most important artistic media since the late 1990s. Mobile and
affordable, its activist potential proved particularly attractive. The artist, no longer confined to a studio and
aloof from society, was now able to take his/her art onto the streets and address issues of relevance for the entire
society. For a generation who often enough felt they could do nothing about inacceptable conditions, this
was welcomed as an important asset. It also explains the prominence of narrative and documentary content in
many works.
Arab video art is characterized by a great variety of aesthetic approaches and is highly dynamic in character
and changing constantly. Works reveal references to international auteur cinema, as well as citations of American
trash movies, Hollywood classics, music videos and TV series. Found footage and archival material is also
used to a high degree. The thematic scope reflects the social and political reality of the countries of production.
Lebanese and Palestinian videos often deal with war, civil war and occupation and its consequences, Syrian
and Egyptian works largely comment on social rigidity and moral narrow-mindedness. In the Maghreb, colonialism
and migration are central themes and videos of Arab diaspora artists often examine the complex issues
of exile, foreignness and question the mechanisms of racism and stigmatization.
The videos of this program were produced in the middle and end of the last decade. They are testimony to the
social engagement of young Arab artists, an engagement also demonstrated through the active participation of
these artists in the revolutions.
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